--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I started writing fiction it always…" description: "\"When I started writing fiction it always seemed in retrospect (I didn't realise at the time) that it was always caused by environments rather than by i..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/031/jonathan-meades-15966_character_when-i-started-writing-fiction-it-always_2513658.jpg" --- # When I started writing fiction it always seemed in… ![“When I started writing fiction it always seemed in retrospect (I didn't realise at the time) that it was always caused by environments rather than by incidents and characters.” quote by Jonathan Meades](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/031/jonathan-meades-15966_character_when-i-started-writing-fiction-it-always_2513658.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/031/jonathan-meades-15966_character_when-i-started-writing-fiction-it-always_2513658.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/031/jonathan-meades-15966_character_when-i-started-writing-fiction-it-always_2513658.jpg) > “When I started writing fiction it always seemed in retrospect (I didn't realise at the time) that it was always caused by environments rather than by incidents and characters.” [Jonathan Meades](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-meades/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The writer’s environment shapes stories more than specific events or characters. **In simple terms:** Environment influences fiction more than plot. Key Takeaway Pay attention to surroundings when creating narratives. Themes creativity environment writing Mood reflective analytical Type observational insightful When to use this quote - novel planning - screenwriting - worldbuilding - character development Key Concepts psychology contextual influence Questions to Reflect On - How does your setting affect your characters? - What environmental details inspire you? A Different Perspective Neglecting character depth can limit story richness. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Environment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/environment/) [Fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction/) [Retrospect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/retrospect/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [Writing fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-fiction/) ## Related quotes > [“Writing a story or a novel is one way of discovering sequence in experience, of stumbling upon cause and effect in the happenings of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eudora-welty/writing-a-story-or-a-novel-is-one-way-of-discovering-sequence-in/) [Eudora Welty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eudora-welty/) > [Some of the sweetest hours in life, in retrospect will be found to have been spent with books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/some-of-the-sweetest-hours-in-life-in-retrospect-will-be-found-to/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [That's why I write, because life never works except in retrospect. 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